Guard given Medal of Valor for off-duty actions to aid toddler struck by car

LAS CRUCES — Mitchell Lamb has spent little time thinking about how he spent the afternoon of Dec. 21.

But on Monday morning, prominent law enforcement personnel, colleagues, family and friends gathered to see Lamb honored for those actions.

Lamb received the Medal of Valor from the New Mexico Corrections Department in a ceremony at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility.

Lamb is a corrections officer there — a sergeant. But on Dec. 21, while off duty, Lamb came to the aid of his neighbors after their 2-year-old child accidentally had been run over in the family's garage.

"He immediately took control of the scene," said the child's grandfather, Leon Baker. "... How many of us would know what to do in a situation like that?"

Baker said his grandson Asher suffered a broken femur and multiple skull fractures, adding that the child was unconscious for 24 hours with brain swelling. He's recovering now, but police initially described Asher's injuries as "life-threatening."

"There's nothing we can do to thank him," said the boy's father, Garson Lamb — no relation.

The state corrections department did all it could, bestowing its second-highest honor upon Lamb — an honor few individuals receive.

Advertisement

A spokesman said only a Medal of Honor is more prestigious.

Secretary of the Corrections Department Gregg Marcantel labeled Lamb's actions and those taken by medical professionals to save Asher's life "what's best about humankind."

It was Baker, a Border Patrol agent, who brought attention to Lamb's actions through a letter he penned to Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility Warden Steve Nance.

Lamb hadn't bothered to tell any of his colleagues about the traumatic events. During Monday's ceremony, Nance recalled bringing it up to Lamb after reading Baker's letter.

"He said, 'Oh yeah, that.'" Nance said.

Nance described Lamb as a man of few words. He fit that description in addressing the crowd after Marcantel draped the medal around his neck.

"I just did what anybody else would have done in that situation," Lamb said. "I'm glad to hear (Asher) is his old rambunctious self."

Lamb later said he believes everything happens for a reason. That morning, Lamb's dryer was being repaired. As a result, he had the front door open to air out the house. The open door allowed him to hear the screams coming from next door. He responded immediately.

Nance said he saw Lamb act in a similar manner during a escalating situation at the prison. Nance said Lamb led inmates away by the arm.

Said Nance: "His coolness in these situations is no mistake."

James Staley may be reached at 575-541-5476. Follow him on Twitter @auguststaley